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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk (or Creamer)

Everyone knows the above expression. Its plainly understood - don't sweat the small stuff - but did you ever stop to notice how you react in small moments, truly.

You know what I'm talking about. That moment when you can't find your phone, you realize you forgot something at work, you get stuck at the longest red light ever or you just spill something on the floor, milk or better yet, coffee creamer.

That's what happened to me last Saturday.

I woke up craving a good cup of coffee - decaf for the pregnant belly - my weekly treat. I was so close to it until I reached for the coffee creamer in my fridge. I didn't realize the lid was not securely on. There it went, spilling all over my hand and then all over the floor spewing nearly all of its hazelnut goodness. 

This was a little thing but boy did it get to me.

There were a few choice words spoken to the open air and a feeling of utter annoyance that I had to get down on my hands and knees to clean it up. And it wasn't enough to just wipe it up with a towel. I needed to go down to the basement to grab a rag that I could soak with some water because creamer is very sticky. As I wiped, there was a incredulous voice still ranting in my head. How did it get all the way under the table and up on those cabinets? Who decided that all these little crevices in my fridge was a good design???

This went on for only about 5-10 minutes. When I finally sat down outside with my new cup of coffee, I had to blame  tell David all about it and the mysterious open container.

The day still went on, I survived and the world kept turning but the creamer incident stayed with me. It was stuck in my brain and over the course of the week, I kept recalling it each time I found myself in another little moment.

  • Needing to call the kids five times before they came to the dinner table.
  • Not finding parking at my job and having to park on the street
  • Taking a busy route during rush hour and getting stuck in traffic.
  • The nightly thought of having to wash Reese's hair and deal with all those knots and tangles.
  • Going to the store, again, to buy more chocolate chip cookie mix after discovering the first packages had melted in the backseat of my hot car.
  • Knowing I've got a blog post to write and staring at a blank computer screen.
These moments might only last a flash (or two) but they were flashes filled with exasperation, annoyance, frustration, a lot of head shaking or deep heavy sighs. 

I began to wonder, if this is what I do to myself over something small, what am I doing when something big goes wrong??

It was an eye opening moment that has me wanting to soak up the wisdom of water if not figuratively (Be Water, My Friend) at least physically with a drink, a dip in the pool or a nice long shower.

So this is where I begin, again. Dealing with a few raindrops instead of a storm.
Trying to build a new reaction, a new response, a new way of thinking.

In the end I can be thankful for all these small moments, this "small stuff". Their beauty is in their little size because I know in the end, they can't inflict any real damage, unless I let them accumulate over time.

How about you? Do small moments shake and rattle your day? Sit down, pour yourself a cup of coffee and tell me all about it. I bought a new bottle of creamer, it's French Vanilla.
 

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